Wire cable and wire rope are used extensively in the constructions of elevators and hoists in environments as disparate as mine shafts and office building hoistways. It is recognized that the wire rope and cable must be inspected and maintained regularly to assure the safety of the passengers and freight carried by the lift cars. Generally speaking, the maintenance includes cleaning the wire cable and rope to remove any buildup of corrosion, dirt, dust, and solidified lubricant. The buildup of such substances can rapidly increase wear and reduce flexibility, and lead to early replacement or sudden failure.
It has been commonplace in the industry to clean wire ropes and cable by manual effort, using rags, cable lubricant, and a wire hand brush. This is an arduous, time consuming job that can require two days for a single, low rise elevator installation. Mechanical cable cleaning arrangements have been proposed in the prior art, but have not found success in the field. Such devices may employ rotating brushes or rotating housings to move a cleaning brush relative to the braided wire, or may use radially segmented cleaning assemblies to remove dirt and corrosion from the cable strands and braids. The fact that these cleaning devices comprise mechanical, moving assemblies implies that the cleaning devices must also be maintained and inspected to assure that they are working properly, and must also be maintained regularly.